the use of oil revolutionized the way war was waged. oils fueled the planes, tanks, ships and -- that fueled the war. by the end of the war america was consuming more oil than it could produce. there was a real fear that the nation was running out of oil. in 1919 american companies were spending $400 million in marketing and oil refining. by 1925, they were spending a billion dollars on exploration alone. at home, oil began to literally gush. production doubled from 1918 to 1923. by 1929 it had tripled and past the billion barrel mark for the first time. in the 1920s, alameda county was the fastest growing area in the country. and with the growth came the reliability on the automobile. with chevrolet andford operating in oakland the city became known as the detroit of the west. ferry boats did an admiral job of shuttling people and automobiles back and forth. as far as cars were concerned there was a better way to link san francisco and oakland. at the cost of $75 million the san francisco oakland bay bridge was built. the opening of th